1. Technical Field
The invention includes embodiments that relate to method of using the propulsion system. The invention includes embodiments that relate to a vehicle and system.
2. Discussion of Art
Hybrid propulsion systems have been developed to recover some of the energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat during dynamic braking. The recovery of this otherwise-wasted energy is regenerative braking. Hybrid propulsion systems can use two different energy sources: a heat engine and an energy storage unit. The engine may burn fuel to produce mechanical work—an internal combustion engine, a turbine engine, and a diesel engine are examples. The energy storage unit may include an electrically re-chargeable battery, an ultracapacitor, or a flywheel having a high power density.
The hybrid propulsion systems can act with regard to specific local events, such as a braking request or an acceleration request. The hybrid propulsion systems do not have a general awareness of the surrounding environment, and do not change functionality based on that awareness. To the extent that any vehicle can sense the environment, one hybrid vehicle monitors ambient temperature and shuts down battery use at ambient temperatures that would damage the batteries.
It may be desirable to have a propulsion system that implements a method of operation that differs from those methods currently available. It may be desirable to have a propulsion system with properties and characteristics that differ from those properties and characteristics of currently available propulsion systems.